#free international calls to usa

[yoonyia]

I have said again and again that the United States of America has one of the worst propaganda programs I have ever seen

the worst part is that it works perfectly

[thethief1996]

Israel has just bombed a hospital where hundreds of wounded and refugees were taking solace. Journalists in Gaza have reported there was hardly a single body whole in the aftermath (If you can stomach it, there's a video of a father holding what remains of his child). At least 500 people killed by IOF soldiers, who planned this action, got into an airplane and dropped that bomb willingly. The deadliest attack in five wars, according to the Ministry of Health.

Israel has denied ownership of the attack and said it was a misfired Hamas rocket. Originally, they celebrated it on their social media, saying they had destroyed a Hamas target, treating the deaths like an unfortunate collateral. After international backlash, they posted videos to their social media claiming it was a Hamas rocket. The video, though, shows a second explosion 40 minutes after the airstrike, and they edited it our of their tweet in a pathetic attempt at covering up.

Israel has said multiple times that they were going to bomb hospitals. They told doctors to evacuate and leave their patients to death because they were going to bomb, namely: Al Shifa, Shuhada Al Aqsa and the Quwaiti Hospital. Al Shifa housed at least 10.000 refugees and wounded, and worked as a hub for the press because it was one of the only hospitals that still had working generators. Medical crew worked with sirens blaring to signal the hospitals were not empty. This was a purposeful massacre. These people died hungry, thirsty and in pain because of the Israeli government's cruelty.

CNN and other media outlets already tried to pin the blame on Hamas, parroting back the pathetic propaganda being sold by the IOF. Even in death, Palestinians can't be respected and are used to further their own oppression. These people's deaths are not going to be in vain. Within our lifetimes, Palestine will be free.

Take action. The Labour Party in the UK had an emergency meeting today after several councilors threatened to resign if they didn't condemn Israeli war crimes. Calling to show your complaints works.

FOR PEOPLE IN THE USA: USCPR has developed this toolkit for calls

FOR PEOPLE IN THE UK: Friends of Al-Aqsa UK and Palestine Solidarity UK have made toolkits for calls and emails

FOR PEOPLE IN GERMANY: Here's a toolkit to contact your representatives by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN IRELAND: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN POLAND: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN DENMARK: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

FOR PEOPLE IN SWEDEN: Here's a toolkit by Voices in Europe for Peace

Protests in support have already erupted in Beirut, Madrid and Rabat in response to the shelling of the hospital. Join your local protest and raise your voices. For people in the US, Israel has just asked for additional $10bi in aid on top of the annual $3.8bi already given to them. Palestinians are asking that you refuse this loudly, with their every breath.

Here's a constantly updating list of protests:

Global calendar

USA calendar

Here are upcoming events:

WASHINGTON, DC: Outside Congress on 18/10 at 12 PM

WASHINGTON, DC: NATIONAL MARCH in front of the White House on 4/11 at 12 PM

SAN DIEGO: 2125 Pan American E Rd. (Spreckles Organ Pavillion) on 18/10 at 7 PM

NEW YORK: 72nd st. And 5th ave., Brooklyn on 21/10 at 2 PM

NEW YORK: CUNY Grad Building on 18/10 at 2 PM

NEW YORK: Oct 18, 5pm, Steinway & Astoria Blvd.

DALLAS: 1954 Commerce Street (Dallas Morning News Building) on 19/10 at 3 PM

[CAR RALLY] KITCHENER-WATERLOO: Fairview Park, 2960 Kingsway Dr. on 18/10 at 6 PM

KITCHENER-WATERLOO: CBC Building, 117 King St. W on 19/10 at 5 PM

HOUSTON: Zionist Consulate, 24 Greenway Plaza on 18/10 at 4 PM

OMAHA: 72nd St & Dodge St on 18/10 at 6 PM

SAINT PAUL, MN: Oct. 18, 5:30pm. State Capitol, 75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

BALTIMORE: Oct 20, 6pm. Baltimore City Hall

DUBLIN: Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 1 on 18/10 at 5 PM

THURLES: Liberty Square on 19/10 at 7 PM

LURGAN: Market Street on 21/10 at 3 PM

PORTO ALEGRE: Rua João Alfredo, 61 on 18/10 at 19h

RIO DE JANEIRO: Cinelândia on 19/10 at 17h

RECIFE: Parque Treze de Maio on 19/10 at 17h

MANAUS: Teatro Amazonas, Largo de São Sebastião on 19/10 at 17h

SÃO PAULO: Praça Oswaldo Cruz on 22/10 at 11h

FOZ DO IGUAÇU: Praça da Paz on 22/10 at 9h

TSHWANE: Belgrade Square Park, Jan Shoba Street on 20/10 at 10 AM

VEREENIGING: Roshnee Sports Grounds on 21/10 at 14h30

Feel free to add more resources

[mesetacadre]

this might be a silly question, but. ive recently learned more about the devastating effects of sanctions on countries like cuba, dprk, or venezuela, and how much unnecessary suffering they cause among the population, especially when it comes to food or medicine shortages. but then bds also calls for sanctions against israel, and im wondering, is there any meaningful difference between that and the sanctions already imposed by the US on other countries? i feel a bit hypocritical when i argue against sanctions while at the same time supporting bds, i feel like they are very different situations with different outcomes but i lack the understanding to really grasp how they are different, if that makes any sense

Sanctions are the systematic blockade of all or certain sectors of trade under military or economic threat by the sanctioner (mostly just the USA in recent history) to any potential agents who might try to ignore the sanction. These sanctions typically include things like medical supplies, food if the country is dependent on imports (like most countries who get sanctioned), electricity, fuel, both light and heavy industry, agricultural products and machines, the global financial system, and other such key sectors. These sanctions, overwhelmingly, only serve to impoverish the country, create undue suffering and political strife. This political strife/instability is usually the main goal of sanctions, to destabilize the target government. However, this political instability more often than not does not result in a magical restoration of "democracy" or "human rights", it usually leads the country down a path of further isolationism and political violence that only worsens its general situation. It also makes it much easier for factions like ISIS to gain popularity and support, since people are desperate. Sanctions are inhumane measures which only makes a country suffer for no good reason. The sanctioners know this, they don't care, and I'd wager that suffering is often the actual point of these sanctions. What has the 60 year old blockade achieved in Cuba? It has only caused pointless poverty, and the stated goal of the sanctions, which is to ultimately remove the communist government, has failed, is failing, and Cuba is managing to make due with what they have.

BDS call for sanctions mostly in regards to military equipment and related products/services, for NATO to stop aiding the genocide, or the banning of Israel from international events such as the olympics. No Israeli will ever go hungry because they no longer get European-made ordinance or because they don't get to participate in Eurovision. This is what BDS says in their Sanctions and governments campaign (which is behind two menus, this is also not the main focus of BDS, by far):

The BDS movement calls for sanctions against Israel, similar to the sanctions that were imposed against apartheid South Africa. These sanctions could include a military embargo, an end to economic links and the cutting of diplomatic ties. In the meantime, the BDS movement is calling for states to take steps to meet their legal obligations not to be complicit in the commission of particular Israeli crimes and not to provide recognition, aid or assistance that help Israel maintain its regime of settler colonialism, apartheid.. This includes, for example, the obligation for states to immediately end to all trade that sustains illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the suspension of free trade agreements and other bilateral agreements with Israel.

Notice the greater emphasis on military and diplomatic ties, and how economic/trade sanctions are only called for when it «sustains illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory». Sure, this will (if it is ever adopted by Israel's significant trade partners) cause some suffering for the poor illegal settlers who had just moved into their shiny new apartment blocks built atop acres of land that sustained the surrounding Palestinian villages. The mere existence of these settlements cause more suffering than any sanction could ever cause.

Calling for these sanctions against Israel, which again, don't even come from comparable agents, are both less harmful towards the total population of Israel, and occur in a completely different context. I'm not going to pretend I care about the wellbeing of settlers whose houses didn't even exist 10 years ago. If these sanctions ever do occur in a significant enough scale (dubious), and those settlers don't want to find themselves in a food desert because Carrefour closed all their stores in the west bank, they shouldn't have moved into land stolen from a people facing genocide in the first place. We're also wagering hypothetical and non-global suffering against the now more than 100,000 dead Palestinians in Gaza in the past year, not even counting those who died ever since the first Nakba.

Like BDS points out, these types of grassroots and targeted boycotts/sanctions worked in South Africa, and the white South Africans didn't even suffer that much. Wager these short-lived and targeted sanctions against these other half-century long sanctions sustained by the US' strongarm policy that have prevented basically anything from getting into Cuba or the DPRK.

While those two things are both called sanctions, they have radically different objectives, methods, range, timescale, and character. I can't reiterate this enough, the North Korean collective farmer and the Israeli settler in the west bank have nothing in common when it comes to their position. Only one of them is complicit in genocide through their own actions, only one of them has any degree of blame, and only one of their governments is actually doing anything that warrants any kind of international action. And again, the BDS strategy focuses much more on military sanctions. Let's also be practical for a second, and acknowledge that the US is never going to withdraw their support for Israel, and especially will never sanction Israel. Israel is simply never going to face the same kind of sanctions that Venezuela or Cuba are facing, nor with the same severity, nor with the same restrictions on products essential for life.

[a-very-tired-jew]

Columbia University's Joint Anti-Israel Groups Go Mask Off

Hey, remember how Columbia University had students in encampments protesting for months? Remember how their SJP, BDS movement, and associated groups endorsed terrorism, violence, and "resistance by any means"?

I remember. Well their joint SJP and BDS group called CU Apartheid Divest just posted something to their Instagram that shows it has never been about Palestine or Palestinians.

Fig. 1. CU Apartheid Divest group, made of SJP, BDS, and other groups openly admits that they are anti-Western Civilization

Read that again.

"We are Westerners fighting for the total eradication of Western civilization."

That's a wild statement to make.

So what are they posting about suddenly that has them revealing their intent for their actions since October?

Bangladesh.

The CU Activists are attempting to liken October 7th attack by Hamas with the Bangladesh student protests. Bangladesh had a quota based employment system that students were protesting, the government responded violently, and everything escalated from there due to years of government corruption, violence, and economic turmoil. This was a protest turned revolution within a country by its own people. This was not a government run by a recognized terrorist group attacking another country, killing civilians, and taking them hostage.

However, the differences and reasons between Hamas's actions and the actions of the students in Bangladesh do not matter to the anti-Zionist Activist.

We've seen this repeatedly from these activists that they will try to liken their movement and/or attach it to other conflicts around the world. Many of these conflicts differ greatly from the Israel/Hamas war as they are internal issues with internal actors being involved.

Bangladesh is students protesting against their government.

Sudan is going through a civil war between various factions.

The Congo has been experiencing decades long violence as various militias fight each other for control.

Yet I've see anti-Israel protestors tag their posts with Free Bangladesh, Free Congo, Free Sudan even though these conflicts differ in origin and parties involved.

If you continue through the IG post you'll see very little information as to the cause of the protest/revolution in Bangladesh and continued attempts to coopt the actions for their movement.

Fig. 2. CU Apartheid Divest group tries to liken its student movements to the student protests in Bangladesh and calls to escalate.

I can't help but think that the CU student activists yearn to be oppressed in a way that would allow them to respond like revolutions and protests around the world. The way they speak and write exudes a yearning for violence. In Fig. 2. they detail the actions taken by students against an authoritarian government that has actively shot and killed protestors. Whereas here in the USA the students were forcibly removed from campuses, experienced some police violence, were arrested, and then released. No curfews with a shoot on sight policy were imposed here in the USA in response to college campus protests.

Fig. 3. CU Apartheid Divest classifies this as an Intifada and likens it to Hamas's attack.

Notice in Fig. 3. that they're trying to call the actions in Bangladesh an Intifada. Not an intifada, but an Intifada which is a proper noun with its own connotation. I know I may be a stickler here, but if I see that word capitalized then I know it's referencing the First and Second Intifadas, and I know that these student groups have been calling for a Third one under the guise of "Global Intifada". They also say that Westerners need to escalate and are "obligated" to do so.

Fig. 4. CU Apartheid Divest uses tankie terminology, refers to Bangladeshis as martyrs, and calls this part of the Global Intifada.

The terminology in Fig. 4. also shows how much the Free Palestine student movement in the USA is not actually about Palestine, Palestinians, or any other movement it tries to attach itself to. These are tankies as indicated by the use of "comrades" and they are wholly opposed to Western Civilization. They genuinely state that their movement should violently escalate here in the USA and that they should be prepared for "sacrifices". This language when coupled with the use of Intifada is alarming as it appears that these student activists are preparing to follow in the footsteps of the Second Intifada, or at the very least calling for others to do so.

These students, whom call themselves the Militants of Hind's Hall (seen in the IG post, but not pictured here), are coopting, or attempting to coopt, movements and conflicts from around the world for their own ideals. As these are students in the USA who are arguably experiencing the least amount of oppression when compared to these other conflicts, and are actively attending Ivy League or R1 universities, it can only be assumed that they're yearning to live out their Glorious Revolution fantasy.

I am under no illusion that I understand their reasoning. Are things perfect here in the USA? Of course not, but when compared to the countries that these student protestors are attaching themselves to, we are leaps and bounds better. And if you disagree, then I have to ask, when was the last time we had a curfew with a shoot on sight policy?

Anyone attempting to call this movement and group "peaceful" is naive. They've been telling you for months that they're not peaceful, that their goals are not peaceful, and that the only peace they want is after they commit violence.

The IG link for reference

[rainofthetwilight]

!!GLOBAL STRIKE FOR PALESTINE!!

alright guys, now that it's march 2nd, I'll refrain from posting about anything other than palestine, as shutitdownforpalestine has called for a global strike, a complete shutdown for palestine on march 2nd.

today, do not post about your interests and keep your blog flooded with posts of palestine!!

keep talking, keep donating, keep protesting, keep boycotting, call your reps, wear palestinian accessories to show your soliditary with palestine, don't buy any unessential things, spread the word, do not stay silent and do whatever you can!! even if you can't do anything on this list, one thing you can very easily do is to keep posting about palestine!! DO NOT STAY SILENT!!!!

!!!!اعملو اي حاجة، ساعدو الفلسطينيين، وحاربو الاحتلال

-

donate to the PCRF!!

donate to the UNICEF!!

donate for the pious project, an organization to help get menstural products into gaza!!

here's where you can donate gaza esims!!

if you can't donate, arab org is the best way as you don't have to pay anything to donate, just one click a day helps!! you click the button, and the ad money goes directly to the palestinian relief funds!! so whether if you can donate or not, don't forget your daily clicks on arab org!!

BDS: this is a movement to stop the international support of the occupation's genocide on palestine, and provides news of what's happening and what to boycott!!

Decolonize palestine: this provides in-depth information about palestine and it's history and origins!!

Where to send emails if you're in the USA:

USA - Tell your congress to stop fueling the Gaza genocide: email them, demand an immediate ceasefire, and demand for huminitarian aid to be allowed in gaza!!

Jewish voice for peace: use their form to send a letter to the congress to demand they focus on de-escalation instead of funding israel's genocide on palestinians!!

-

FREE PALESTINE!!! 🇵🇸🇵🇸

[opencommunion]

The producer, artistic director, and an educator at The Freedom Theatre in Jenin were kidnapped alongside over 100 other Palestinians today (13 Dec 23). The Freedom Theatre is a hub of cultural resistance and artistic community in the occupied West Bank.

Join me in calling on theatre institutions to demand the immediate release of these kidnapped artists. Here's the email I'm sending; feel free to copy but please adjust the phrasing to avoid spam filters: "Today in Jenin refugee camp, The Freedom Theatre's artistic director Ahmed Tobasi, producer Mustafa Sheta, and acting teacher Jamal Abu Joas were taken hostage by the Israeli army alongside over one hundred other Palestinian civilians. This follows the murder of three Freedom Theatre artists in the last few weeks: Yamen Jarrar (17), Jehad Naghniyeh (26), and Mohammed Matahen (30). The global theatre community must stand up in support of artists persecuted by the occupation regime. There is extensive documentation of torture in Israeli occupation detention centers. I urge [name of organization] to issue a public statement demanding the immediate release of these hostages. Here's a recent article about The Freedom Theatre's work with traumatized children: [AJ link above]" I'm also adding a brief statement from my perspective as a theatre artist, expressing my disappointment in my local and national theatre scene for its silence. If you're a theatre artist or theatre-goer I encourage you to do the same! The international and US institutions I'm emailing: International Society for the Performing Arts - dbaile@ispa.org, mdriscoll@ispa.org, rjohnson@ispa.org, zcheng@ispa.org International Theatre Institute - info@iti-worldwide.org, hessa@cpo.fujairah.ae International Amateur Theatre Association - secretariat@aitaiata.net Theatre Without Borders - info@theatrewithoutborders.com ASSITEJ - president@assitej-international.org, sg@assitej-international.org, chris@assitej-international.org International Federation for Theatre Research - marcus.tan@nie.edu.sg IDEA- info@idea-austria.org International Schools Theatre Association - office@ista.co.uk, tom@ista.co.uk, helen@ista.co.uk, keriann@ista.co.uk Theatre for Young Audiences USA - info@tyausa.org, sbfala@gmail.com, saramorgulis@gmail.com American Association of Community Theatre - quiana@aact.org, david@aact.org, dvancleave@aact.org American Theatre Wing - mailbox@americantheatrewing.org, rachel@americantheatrewing.org American Theatre Magazine - rwkendt@tcg.org, ksmith@tcg.org, apierson@tcg.org, jpierce@tcg.org American Alliance for Theatre and Education - heidischo@gmail.com American Society for Theatre Research - president@astr.org, info@astr.org Theater of War - marjolaine@theaterofwar.com, bryan@theaterofwar.com Actors' Equity - jrice@actorsequity.org, kshindle@actorsequity.org, wcarter@actorsequity.org, abundonis@actorsequity.org The Broadway League - league@broadway.org PEN America - info@pen.org, education@pen.org Please also email organizations where you live, and any personal contacts in the performing arts. You can also tag organizations in the comments of The Freedom Theatre's posts on ig @.thefreedomtheatre

[phoenixyfriend]

Calls for Action, Call Your Reps: 3/12/24

This is USA-specific, as that is the place I live and know.

Find your elected officials.

As usual, most of my information on what bills are on the floor comes from GovTrack. I am including some suggested listening/reading (you can find text versions if you google the title and 'transcript') at the bottom of the post. I am also including a current event that is likely to be a very powerful argument, with the right politicians. The event is prefaced with a red warning tag, and followed by event-specific verbiage.

Suggested verbiage and strategies for calling your elected officials. We've recently seen politicians, including Biden, start to pivot towards the "Israel is increasing danger to itself" argument in public statements.

The most immediate and pressing issue at this moment is the famine in Gaza. The air drops are inefficient and dangerous (several people died due to a parachute malfunction), and the floating pier will not be ready any time soon. Trucks across land borders MUST be allowed in.

At this time, the three greatest factors in that famine are:

Israeli bombardment (destruction of existing food stores and farming land).

Israeli blockades of the Egyptian border into Gaza, preventing aid trucks from places like the US from reaching people, and turning away trucks on their own side of the northern and eastern border that contain items like medical scissors, solar panels, and anesthetic.

The cessation of funding to UNRWA, which has been the lifeline to Palestinian civilians for decades, and is currently the best and possibly only chance to save the one and a half million dying civilians

This information is being reported by the WHO, UNRWA itself, UNICEF, and more, along with journalists that are in Gaza at this time.

Both House and Senate:

Reinstate funding for UNRWA. While the claims made by Israel that employees of the relief agency were involved in Oct. 7th are troubling, THEY are not well supported, and western officials did not do their duty in investigating the claims before cutting funding. This arm of the UN is currently providing food, water, shelter, and medical care to the 2.3 million displaced peoples of Gaza. It is especially disturbing and concerning that the many children of Gaza, who are already suffering due to this conflict, are now having this support revoked. Many sources are also claiming that the evidence is flimsy at best.

Urge both Senate and House to refrain from funding Israel, or to at least put some strings on it. The IDF cannot be given funding without some regulations on what they can do with it. They have proven that they are unwilling to take steps to protect civilians.

Sanctions must also be placed on Israel for its continued impediment of aid intended for Gazans, including aid from the US.

Urge for the US to stop vetoing ceasefire demands in the UN. No, the suggested replacement written by the US is not an excuse.

Not directly related to Gaza: It looks like they’re gearing up for another push at KOSA. The canned email responses I’m getting are really proud of being in support of KOSA, which is… bad. It is also bad for people outside the US, including Palestine, apparently. VOTE NAY.

Not related to Gaza:

The US, France, and Canada are meddling in the Haitian government and pressing for "peace" under US terms. The international community cannot continue to seed problems in this country for their own purposes. Also, feel free to drop a note about how France and the US need to pay reparations for the double debt.

Domestic affairs: Press for a less harsh immigration policy than the one currently in Congress. Press for investigation into the Boeing whistle-blower death, and for stricter oversight and safety regulations on large corporations.

[hongtonie]

targeted boycotts are as we know the most efficient and this isn’t me calling for a boycott, but to keep people informed below the cut are lists of kpop artists with affiliations to labels mentioned on zionistsinmusic on twitter

UMG (under an american umbrella label it owns or has joint shares in highup ent [kor releases only], yg ent [bp kor releases only], the black label [somi and taeyang's kor releases only]; under capitol music group it owns or has joint shares in sm ent; under republic it owns or has joing shares in big hit [txt kor releases only], jype [twice, skz, and itzy's kor releases only], under universal music japan it has u-cube a "joint venture with" cube ent, virgin music > republic records > used as an imprint for txt jp releases; through third party distribution umg is affiliated with yuehua ent) - 4minute, apink, ateez, beast, bigbang, blackpink, boys republic (actually managed by umg), btob, bts, dean, everglow, snsd, infinite, iu, iz*one, kep1er, lim youngwoong, loona (japan), miss a (since 2012), monsta x, nct 127, p1harmony, psy (since 2012), rainbow, stray kids, shinee, somi, stayc, super junior, t-ara, the rose, triples, tri.be, twice, txt, wonder girls, xikers, and zerobaseone

note: a lot of these have (south korea) next to the name, i don’t know if that means they only have a deal for that country because other artists like stray kids and lim youngwoong don’t have that specification

REPUBLIC (owned by umg) - itzy, nayeon, nmixx, stray kids, txt, tri.be, twice, vcha

SONY (owns columbia, wakeone, dreamcatcher company; distributes modhaus, chrome ent, kq ent, starship, top media, wakeone, wm ent) - riize, ive, ateez, bts, brown eyed girls, wjsn, crayon pop, dreamcatcher, everglow, exid, monsta x's i.m (astrisked, can't find why), kep1er, lim youngwoong, stayc, tfn/t1419, the rose, triples, wings, xikers, zerobaseone

COLUMBIA (owned by sony) - ateez, ive (usa), kep1er, p1harmony, stayc, triples, treasure (usa), xikers, zerobaseone

VIRGIN (owned by umg) - nct 127, shinee (japan)

WARNER (through warner records it owns or has shares in sm [aespa kor releases only]; included in their international labels is warner music korea which is an international copyright holder and distributor for brand new music [younite, ab6ix, as one, eluphant, miss s] and keystone ent [blank2y]) - aespa (outside of sk), b1a4, bigbang, cherry bullet, choi junhee/choi seoah/juniel (taiwan and japan), cn blue, day6, ft island, got7, iu, jyj, kep1er, loossemble, loona, p1harmony, sf9, twice

ATLANTIC (owned by warner) - got7, iu, kep1er, loossemble, p1harmony, sf9

as always if any of this information is incorrect or outdated, please feel free to correct me in a reblog or an ask and i'll update the information in this post. i'll try to keep up with any new companies that are brought up on the twitter account mentioned at the beginning of this post. i'm not here to call for a boycott of every artist mentioned here because i don't feel i am in the position to do so, but i'm not discouraging you from choosing to do so. in fact i encourage you to listen to these artists unofficially at the very least.

i'm not sure the extent to which these companies get revenue from these artists, i don't know if it's just streams or if other things like merch sales and youtube views contribute but quite a few of these artists' companies are being boycotted currently or in the near future anyway, so i would suggest you not buy any merch or watch youtube videos officially from them. this post has more info on downloading music, youtube videos (with subtitles), and the boycotts i mentioned so i hope you all will check that out too. tris @bandzboy has also been posting about and sharing twitter posts about zionism in music, especially in the kpop industry so i suggest you check out her blog as well

[hanna-lulu]

i’ve been comparing the usa now to germany circa the late 1930s and it is not a favorable comparison.

let’s see what we’ve got:

increasing antisemitism

increasing transphobia

increasing ableism

continued oppression of indigenous peoples

laws being introduced to ban gender-affirming care and remove children from their homes if they are allowed to live as they wish

books being banned for having honest and age-appropriate portrayals of race/racism and queerness/homophobia

pushing maid (medical assistance in dying) on people with disabilities and even people who are just poor (this is more in canada but i’m including it here anyway)

a right wing that is seen as ridiculous and absurd, yet is somehow still managing to hold onto power while liberals/leftists laugh it off as if they’ll run out of steam

it’s important to note that in the 1930s, when hitler came to power, the international community thought he was a joke. his overblown rhetoric was silly, his history was laughable, and nobody took him seriously. they thought it would all blow over. also, he wasn’t saying anything that a lot of people didn’t secretly agree with. antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and racism were widespread throughout europe and the usa, and a lot of people had less of a problem with what he was saying and more with how he was saying it. (think kanye west’s antisemitic comments, which joe rogan did attempt to stop him from making so blatantly, but didn’t actually disagree with.)

the first medical and educational facility for gender affirming care was in berlin. did you know that? the institut für sexualwissenschaft (known variably in english as institute of sex research, institute of/for sexology, or institute for the science of sexuality) was founded in 1919 and headed by magnus hirschfeld, who was both gay and jewish. he helped build a library in the institute that was dedicated to the topics of gender, eroticism, and same-sex love. the research undertaken there regarded sexual health of all people, gay, transgender, and intersex, as well as counseling and treatment for alcoholism, gynecological issues, venereal diseases, contraceptives, and more. sexual reassignment surgeries were performed successfully there. the goal was to help those who were suffering because they could not live as who they truly were and to educate the common people, because people fear what they see as different, what they cannot understand.

you won’t find the books in that library today. they were burned as part of the nazis’ campaign of terror and censorship. in 1933, 6 years before world war 2 officially broke out, the institut was broken into and looted by the deutsche studentenschaft (aka the german student union). young adults who had spent their formative years surrounded by hateful rhetoric were accompanied by a brass band as they destroyed this oasis of understanding and knowledge. hirschfeld himself had fled germany years before, as he had been targeted numerous times by nationalists/far right “activists”.

berlin once had a thriving queer community. germany was a home to many jews, my own great-grandparents included. my great-grandmother’s younger brother had a learning disability. their home turned on them out of fear and ignorance, the people told by their leaders that other human beings were not really human, but degenerate filth. my great-grandparents escaped with their lives. many– my great-grandma’s brother included– did not.

the concentration camps that imprisoned and killed so many jewish, queer, and/or disabled people (as well as romani and political prisoners, and japanese-americans IN THE USA) are not consigned to the past. our prison system disenfranchises those who are placed in it and uses them for unpaid labor. refugees are caged for daring to hope that our country– the so-called “land of the free���– would take them in when their homes turned on them. indigenous people are ridiculed and attacked for wanting to help our planet heal and for asking to conserve the land that was stolen from their ancestors. almost a hundred years since the holocaust, and we still haven’t learned.

don’t look away from this. it’s not going to blow over. those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and we are already experiencing a resurgence of fascist beliefs and rhetoric.

write to your representatives. VOTE. protest if and when you can. show them that we are HERE and we refuse to be written out of the history books, banned or burned away. we are human beings. we live and love and deserve to do so with dignity.

and if appealing to your humanity isn’t enough, remember this poetic version of a quote by german lutheran pastor martin niemöller, an early nazi collaborator and antisemite who later changed his views and opposed hitler’s oppressive regime:

“first they came for the socialists, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a socialist.

then they came for the trade unionists, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a trade unionist.

then they came for the jews, and i did not speak out–

because i was not a jew.

then they came for me– and there was no one left to speak for me.”

there is always another enemy in fascism. anyone who is different will eventually be a target. white supremacy is poison, and fitting the mold of a “perfect citizen” cannot keep you safe. queer infighting and pushing down people who you find “too weird” will not stop the people who hate all of us. to the far right, we are all wrong to our very cores. solidarity in the face of oppression is the only way to survive, live, and thrive.

[mckitterick]

Humankind's progress on reproductive rights

how about some good news?

as reproductive rights are under fire in the United States, most countries have moved toward expanding access - USA, Nicaragua, Poland, and El Salvador are outliers

in the past three decades, 60 countries around the world have made abortion laws more liberal and expanded access to reproductive health services, increasing the quality, accessibility, and safety of abortion care while raising maternal health outcomes

most international authorities call abortion a crucial aspect of health care

in related news, free contraception and sex-ed have helped Finland reduce teenage abortions by 66%

it's almost as if right-wing politicians don't care about citizens' health or actually reducing abortions

[david-goldrock]

Unfortunately the USA is getting very bold with people supporting fascism. Recently there were people waving Nazi flags around in the State of Michigan in order to protest a play about Anne Frank.

Then there were also people waving Nazi flags around in Ohio as well and shouting out slurs to people. Shit is scary.

Links to the news articles:

(https://abcnews.go.com/US/white-house-condemns-sickening-nazi-march-ohio/story?id=115968182)

(https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/protesters-wave-nazi-flags-diary-anne-frank-production-michigan-rcna179774)

Fascism growing in the USA should scare everyone. The beacon of democracy can't fall there

But I protest any calls that say we are over the threshold already. The USA has one of, if not the, strongest defences for free speech in the entire world. Your anti-discrimination laws are on-par with the international standard. You have full equal rights to lesbians and gays and bis, you have full equal rights to women, and in some states even an enshrined right to an abortion. You have laws against the mixing of church and state, and while sometimes they aren't enforced, they let the average citizen protect their rights in a court of law, and sometimes to also win. You have full religious freedom and freedom from religion. You are a bit behind on right to privacy, but hell, aren't we all? You have the right to a trial, by a jury of your peers, for any crime

I don't think you see how much protection you have against the rise of a tyrannical government. You live in the first democracy of the modern age. You have the responsibility to not let fascists take over it, but also the comfort of the defences from any violation you have

[myers-meadow]

Letter by letter. Thomas Hewitt x f reader

Title: Letter by letter

Pairing: Thomas Hewitt x fem reader who is not from the USA.

Summary: As part of a school project, Thomas starts exchanging letters with a penpal from oversees. With her, he finds a freedom to be himself, to express himself fully, and his longing to have her near grows ever more. One day, an unexpected guest shows up at the doorstep of the Hewitt's.

Warnings: sfw. canon-typical allusions to the murdering and cannibalism. Implied kidnapping at the end. Written in third person. No name used, written as a reader-insert.

It was years ago that the letters started. One of those projects of the school Thomas went to back then; to have an international pen pal. Some young pupils never got beyond the first letter, shoved the reply in a drawer and forgot about the entire thing, but not Thomas. Despite struggling with writing sometimes; the cramped fingers, the ink stains, the messy handwriting, and his shyness; he pushed through, letter after letter.

It started with that postcard of Fuller he sent with his introduction, purchased from his mama’s store, and his dearest pen pal sent one back of the city she lived close by. Told him some cool history about the buildings in the picture.

When he hit his growth spurt, earlier than the other kids, he quit school and started working at the meat plant. It was a relief to be away from school and the other students, and the work provided him with a sense of purpose. To her, he was able to write about the butchering, about how it felt. About his skills with the cleaver, how he could feel himself grow stronger, that he was so good at it that he could cut through bone with ease, that he could make just as many clean finished chops as his established colleagues. He left out what they called him when they thought he couldn’t hear.

It was exhilarating to Thomas. His dear pen pal, an entire sea away, didn’t know anything about him. The freedom he felt to express himself to someone who knew nothing of the ridicule he faced, who wasn’t able to see what he looked like, didn’t know anything about him other than what he told her. He grew into himself when he wrote to her, free and true.

The money for the expensive international stamps he squirreled away from his salary at the meat plant – shrugging his shoulders when the family made a comment about it. None had tried to touch this aspect of his life. Luda Mae especially saw his excitement as a new letter arrived and was glad for it.

She was named after a love song, she said, and she was just a year younger than him. Her birthday was on the cusp of spring into summer and each year it was as if he felt the approach of it like a flower emerging from its bud. He was fifteen when she wrote that he could call her a nickname – even if it may be because he kept misspelling her long, foreign name, it didn’t matter. She was a writer, a poet, after going to school for as long as her parents could afford to send her, she worked as a typist at a firm she never named. She often sent him little excerpts from stories she was working on, which he praised even if he didn’t understand entirely what they were about. After all, she took the time to translate them into English so he could read them. It made him feel special. Appreciated. As if his opinions really mattered to her.   

Even despite his struggles to word himself, it seemed she understood him. He knew it was impossible, but wanted desperately for it to be true. His daily life couldn’t be further from hers. After all, she wouldn’t feel the same satisfaction when cutting a bull’s throat, or feel the ache in her muscles, the words echoing in his head, after a day of work. At the same time, he doesn’t have hands stained with ink or broken nails from the force he hit the keys of the typing machine with.

The frequency of the letters increased and by now Thomas must be one of the only ones keeping Fuller’s postman in business. There were flowers in ink around his name in the greeting of the newer letters. After he was done reading a verse from the bible before bed, he read with her most recent letter to commit it to memory, as he did with them all. Did she reread his letters to her too? He hoped so. And as he laid down in bed, curtains still open so he could stare at the stars, he thought of her. Of a warm body beside his own. What would her voice sound like, her accent? How would his name sound on her lips?

It was barely a week later, and the postman handed him a new letter. Thomas ripped it open, reading it as he stood on the lawn, thinking that the work could wait. After all, the tourists were already dead. Their firsts… And there was no going back now. It meant many things for Thomas and the family – one of which was: no more work at the meat plant. No more insults. His eyes racked over the letter greedily. His confidence had grown since taking his first human life, and he felt he could do anything. He couldn’t wait to tell her that things had changed – leaving out the unsavoury bits, of course. Stalking inside and up the stairs, he sat down on his bed to write his response.

The day after, the doorbell sounded just after noon. Unlikely to be a neighbour as there weren’t any for miles. Tourists then? Thomas grunted as he remembered he was the only one home, and slammed the cleaver down into the wooden table. Wiping his hands on his filthy apron, he threw it off as he marched up the stairs. As he swung the door open, the most unlikely sight stood in front of him. It was her. How did she get here? The angels must have blessed him. Just to look at her, to have her close enough to touch was more than he’d ever hoped for. He stared and stared, eyes wide, as she introduced herself. Voice sweeter than honey.

She said her name, pronounced differently from how he’d said it in his head, and then: “I’m so sorry to be a bother, but is Tommy home perhaps? I’d love to see him.”

It fell silent, as he stared at her, expecting her to fade like a mirage. As he saw her falter, he scrambled, gesturing to himself. Out of his back pocket he grabbed the recent letter, he liked rereading it so he kept it with him, and showed her. Then pointed from his name to himself. Regretting how gross he must look, hands not even washed, tie crooked, sweaty from the heat in the basement. Not that she looked any less sweaty, but she still looked like an angel.

“Tommy, it’s you!” she said, instead, and hugged him. “You’ve no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment. Is it unexpected? I sent you a letter but it may not have arrived yet. Can I come in?”

Of course, he let her, with his heart beating out of his chest. Now that she was here, there was no single possibility in his mind that she’d ever leave again.

[lewishamiltonstuff]

I am speechless. Utterly speechless. I'm fucking tired of the power politics but i cannot stop talking because I owe to the Palestinians. And i want to say that I hope these countries fighting for unipolarity and hegemony rot and suffer from the worst fate this world has ever seen. I hope these countries colonise eo and combust and vanish from the map.

Let's get this very clear, Palestinians are never seeing peace. Why? Because all of this is a game for the global powers. Humans are a pawn. They're collateral damage. USA, China, and Russia will NEVER be on the same page and today's call for ceasefire's result is the biggest proof to it.

All this while China and Russia were voting for ceasefire. And guess what USA was doing? Vetoing against it. AS SOON AS USA called for a ceasefire, guess what Russia and China did?? THEY FUCKING VETOED AGAINST IT!!!!! It was never about Palestine, or the ceasefire, or peace, or war against evil. It was always about who gets to be the hegemon, the global leviathan.

Fuck their triangular diplomacy and fuck their agendas to counter eo. Fuck their international politics. The UNSC needs to reform itself because as long as the permanent members get to have the power they have, the Palestinians will be butchered everyday. I am utterly disgusted. And I'm fucking furious. FREE FREE PALESTINE.

[akajustmerry]

Sorry to bother you, but i would like to hear you opinion on the international day of action taking place on Invasion Day. I know these movements are incredibly intertwined and there have been a lot of pro Palestine movements and solidarity actions co organised by Aboriginal Australians and this years Invasion Day march will most likely be in solidarity with Palestine while also addressing more specific (although similar to the genocide thats currently occurring) issues in relation to Invasion Day, but I am unsure how to go forward without unintentionally overshadowing the significance of both days even though a lot of the what’s currently occurring is similar to why we protest, march and mourn on Invasion Day

hello, okay so just to be clear I'm not the speaker for Aboriginal people everywhere. I can only tell you my opinion as a single Aboriginal person who is also Arab. So, please, only take what I say as one opinion and not a rule.

I believe and know that all colonial powers are linked. Australia as a colonial power is inseparable from the UK and the USA. The UK are responsible for invading and establishing a colony in "Australia", just as they were responsible for invading and establishing a settler colony in Palestine, and the same goes for the US. And while the colonies of "Australia" and the US and "Israel" took on their own identies as settler colonial states, they share and maintain colonial roots with the UK.

So, you see, it's not just that the struggles are similar, they're the same. Literally, the same. So called Australia was colonised under the British law of "terra nullius", the legal concept that no one was here so it was free for the taking. Palestine was colonised by British and European Zionists who saw Palestine as "a land without people for a people without a land" which is just terra nullius by another name.

Palestine and Palestinians, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples share similar conditions because our oppressors are the same and are still in fucking cahoots. The Australian government is sending weapons to Israel and Israel bankrolls a LOT of Australian financing, tech companies, and universities. Our struggles for liberation are inseparable because the institutions oppressing us are inextricably linked.

I say all this to remind you that Invasion Day rallies and protests are not about the day itself. They are about how the day represents colonisation and the ongoing violence of it. They are organised to remind settlers that we First Nations peoples are still here and we do not condone the celebration of our colonisation and ongoing genocide.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. The Free Palestine movement is a global anti-colonial movement. To stand with Palestinians is to stand with every Indigenous person living under occupation and fight for their liberation. The Free Palestine movement isn't a stopgap movement or a charity movement, it's a land back movement. What you need to really sit with and ask yourself is why you're in the Free Palestine movement. Because if it's not because you believe that Indigenous people everywhere should have their land returned to them, then you're not really an ally.

What I mean is, there shouldn't ever be a question of which one you should support because the answer is both. They can't overshadow one another because our movement is the same, our struggle for liberation is the same. You and anyone else out there worried that supporting your local Indigenous peoples' liberation is going to overshadow Palestine or vice versa need to learn more about how our struggles are not separate. They're one struggle against the same Imperial colonial powers. When we say that none of us are free until all of us are, we mean it's because it will take all of us in solidarity to liberate one another because our oppressors are all the tentacles of the same imperial colonial monster.

Most rallies for Invasion Day in major cities will also be in solidarity with Palestine. One of the first times I went to Invasion Day in Eora/Sydney in 2014/15 I was moved to tears by a Palestinian speaker at the rally who said he'd been coming to Invasion Day rallies since he landed in this country as a refugee in the 90s because he instantly saw our shared struggle as Indigenous peoples under settler colonialism.

So I hope I've helped you see that there is no supporting one or the other or overshadowing because we are fighting for the same thing. It's why so many Palestinians advocate for other oppressed peoples and stand in solidarity with Black Americans, Indigenous peoples around the world, and vice versa because it's not that we're in lots of struggles in competition with one another. We're in one struggle, an end to our occupation, and our permanent and whole liberation.

[seeminglyranch87]

Taylor & Travis Timeline

November 2024 - Part 1

November 1 - Travis has been named one of the most influential athletes by Time Magazine. TIME Special Edition - Sports Greats Past & Present: Influential Athletes Who Changed The World, Stories Of LeBron James, Travis Kelce, Caitlin Clark, Patrick Mahomes, Simon Biles, Aaron Judge & More.

Kelce pulled in 10 catches for 90 yards and a TD last week. KC Chiefs coach Andy Reid says

'It's been great to get him (Travis Kelce) going. He's one of the great ones. You might slow him down a minute but not for very long.' (x)

Taylor Swift wins “International Female Artist” at the 2024 NRJ Music Awards (x)

The Eras Tour, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

The Albatross x Holy Ground (guitar) & Cold As You x Exile (piano)

Chariah Gordon - NFL WAG attends The Eras Tour (x)

Taylor needs a replacement battery pack mid performance of Lavender Haze (x)

image 2, 3, 4 📸 Kevin Mazur, 1 November 2024

November 2 - The Eras Tour, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN

The Prophecy x This Love (x guitar) & Maroon x Cowboy Like Me (x piano)

"Change the prophecy - These hands had to let it go free - To change the prophecy"

“And I chose you - cause you’re a cowboy like me”

Travis Kelce attends his 15th show. Travis arrived as TTPD era began (presumably he flew out from Kansas City after practice). A film crew followed him upon his late arrival.

Travis Arrives (x )

Travis is Her wild boy with all this wild joy (x)

Travis dancing to So High School next to Andrea (x)

Travis & Taylor leave the stadium together (x)

Taylor giddy on stage with Travis in attendance:

Taylor wore the Chiefs colours for the 1989 era ❤️

Taylor did the archer pose during So High School.

Taylor fanned her face with her hands alluding to Travis being hot ❤️‍🔥 during Midnight Rain (x)

Taylor sang “Karma is the guy in the Chiefs” (x)

November 3 - The Eras Tour, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN N3. Final show in the USA.

Cornelia Street x The Bolter (x guitar) & Death By A Thousand Cuts x The Great War (piano)

“i packed my bags, left Cornelia street - and as i was leaving it felt like breathing”

November 4 - Pat McAfee on his NRL podcast gives a glowing review of the The Eras Tour. Calling Taylor a "f***ing master" for her show and her performance (x)

Chiefs v Buccaneers, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Chiefs defeat Buccaneers 30-24 in overtime.

Travis arrives ahead game (x) and warming up.

Taylor Swift arriving at Arrowhead Stadium (x). Andrea & Austin Swift & Donna Kelce are also in attendance.

Jason Kelce has sweet response to Taylor's arrival whilst commentating (x) with his colleague calling Taylor his Sister in-law multiple times.

Donna, Chariah Taylor Andrea (above)

Travis interviewed after the Chiefs 8th consecutive win.

November 5 - New Heights Ep. 108 airs. Travis talks about his final visit to The Eras Tour in Indianapolis.

"I wanted to see Tay one more time before [the Eras Tour] got closed up... I heard that it was a lot more rowdy... that thing was rockin!"

Go to previous update -> October 2024 part 4

Go to next update -> November 2024 part 2

Return to the timeline

[mentally-quiet-spycrab]

Urgent! SAVE GREENPEACE USA!

Oh no.... Greenpeace (a beneficial Nonprofit) is being sued for $300 million by Big Oil.

Energy Transfer, the Big Oil company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline, claims that Greenpeace USA and Greenpeace International organized the 2016-2017 Standing Rock resistance. This is a false and racist attempt to erase Indigenous leadership from this historic protest.

The trial begins in February 2025.

If we fail, Greenpeace USA could face financial ruin, which would end over 50 years of environmental activism.

Energy Transfer’s lawsuit will threaten our fundamental rights to organize and protest.

A win for Energy Transfer sets a dangerous precedent – allowing more attacks on unions, activists, and journalists – and silencing our speech through intimidation.

If enough people help speak out, we can stop this abusive lawsuit, protect Greenpeace USA, and defend free speech.

Sign the open letter calling on Energy Transfer to drop the lawsuit, then share it far and wide!